Summer Promises
by Kylelover101
Summary: "I'll be back in the Summer. We'll go to the lot and play football, I'll teach you how to drive and I'll show you how to hook with a pretty girl, how's that sound?" Soda smiled. Ponyboy only nodded threw teary eyes as Soda hugged him gently. "Come home safe." "Please, don't die, Soda. I didn't want you in this war" But he never got the chance to say it. ONE-SHOT, PLEASE REVIEW!


**Hello everyone, just to warn you, there is a flood warning if you happen to read this story. I caught myself crying while writing this story. NOW! no more spoilers! Enjoy :') And don't forget to leave a review!**

**-Kylelover101**

**Title: Summer Promises **

**Summary: "I'll be back in the Summer. We'll go to the lot and play football, I'll teach you how to drive and I'll show you how to hook with a pretty girl, how's that sound?" Soda smiled. Ponyboy only nodded threw teary eyes as Soda hugged him gently. "Come home safe." "Please, don't die, Soda. I didn't want you in this war" But he never got the chance to say it. ONE-SHOT, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Rating: M (for blood) **

* * *

**R. I . P**

**Jack-"Junior" Weaver**

**1940-1958**

**"I never got to meet you, you were always known as "the stranger" in my family portrait,  
but as I grow older, and take a closer look at you, I realized we both had the same look in our eyes  
a look of wild-crazed joy that few on Earth really care to notice."**

**"This, is in dedication to you"**

**Always thinking about you. **

**-Kylelover101.**

* * *

_Ponyboy sniffed, today was September 1st, 1959. Today was supposed to be a happy day since it was Ponyboy's fifteenth birthday, but Ponyboy wasn't in the mood to celebrate, today, Soda was leaving. To Vietnam. Six months ago, they were given the draft papers and Darry tried to protest, saying he'd go instead, that was when Soda raised his arm, the same grin he had on his face, practically his whole life. _

_"I'll go. Stay here. Make sure Ponyboy's healthy and safe." _

_It wasn't long after Johnny and Dally's deaths either. Steve was going too, he'd make sure nothing happened to Soda. Two-bit had said his farewells the day before and left the Curtis brothers in peace, or so he said, Ponyboy wasn't stupid, he knew Two-bit would use this excuse to get drunk and forget about the problems for a little while. _

_"Hey, hey, hey. . . no crying, baby." Soda softly spoke, his voice gentle and calm. It slightly angered and confused Ponyboy. _

_Ponyboy couldn't help but not cry, his brother was leaving. Leaving him. _

_"It's your birthday, you can't cry, Ponyboy." Soda smiled as Ponyboy's childish nuzzling tickled his neck. Ponyboy didn't care, he let the tears roll down his face. Soda crouched down slightly, not bothering to take off his white gloved, matching his bright Navy-blue Marine outfit. For one his hair wasn't greased, in-fact it was buzzed and from a distance you couldn't tell it was Soda, unless you saw his bright blue eyes. _

_"Happy Birthday, my baby brother." Soda smiled. "Fifteen Years ago, I got to ride shot-gun with Darry as Dad drove us to the hospital, and within that hour, I got to hold you. I got to hold my baby brother-"Course this bum took him from me" Soda snickered, and Darry smiled, shaking his head. "Ponyboy, I don't want to leave, but, if I don't, who will?" _

_"S-someone else." Ponyboy whimpered._

_"Yeah. . . Someone else's brother. Someone else's father. And I bet "someone-else" isn't fifteen and has wonderful memories with their older brother." Soda sadly smiled. "Just what if they find someone, Ponyboy, and they grow up without a brother. What then?"_

_Truth be told, Ponyboy didn't care. He was done caring about other people, his parents and then his friends were taken from him, could you really blame Ponyboy for being selfish? _

_But that was Soda, kind-heart-ed, thinking of others. . .Always._

_"Ponyboy. . . I'll be back in the Summer. We'll go to the lot and play football, I'll teach you how to drive and I'll show you how to hook with a pretty girl, how's that sound?" Soda smiled. Ponyboy only nodded threw teary eyes as Soda hugged him gently. _

_"Come home safe-"Please, don't die, Soda. I didn't want you in this war" But he never got the chance to say it as Sodapop started walking toward the truck that had other recrutes to take to L.A to ship out to Vietnam. Ponyboy bit his lip as Sodapop turned back one last time to wave goodbye. Darry wrapped his arm around Ponyboy and the two gave a weak wave goodbye. _

_Soda's laugh rang in Ponyboy's ears for the next five months. _

* * *

Ponyboy was walking home from school one spring afternoon It was warm enough to not wear a coat, a key indicator that summer was on it's way, and Soda would be home. He promised. This had Ponyboy grinning ear-to-ear, in every letter Soda wrote home, there would always be plans for fun times the three brothers would have when Soda came home, it always changed from going to a movie, to going to a carnival, to going horseback-riding, drag racing, or even staying home all day, skipping work and school.

Ponyboy practically skipped home.

When he reached his lawn, his smile faded.

Darry's trunk was in the driveway, he wondered why Darry was even home before three, he was never home before three. Ponyboy got his answer when he saw Darry in the window, taking down the flag with the blue star and replacing it with a gold star.

Gold. . .star.

Ponyboy felt his knees grow weak.

He knew what a gold star stood for, he could understand why people would use a gold star. But what he didn't understand. . . was why Darry was putting it up. Why was Darry putting up a Gold star in their window. WHY?!

Ponyboy didn't know how it happened but he went from standing on the lawn to waking up on the couch, his head rested on Darry's lap. Darry patted a wash cloth on Ponyboy's forehead.

"D-Darry?" Ponyboy asked.

". . . It'll be okay, Ponyboy." Darry was crying, Superman was crying.

Ponyboy felt a lump in his throat, and he continued to believe Darry's flashing lie. Hell, Darry pretended to believe it. And both brothers held each other, knowing they were all they had. Knowing Sodapop, wouldn't come back that summer.

* * *

_Sodapop whipped away the sweat from his brows, it was nearing one-hundred and it was early morning. The temperature would only rise later on this afternoon. Sodapop took a drag on his cigarette, sine entering this war, he found himself smoking more often that when he did back home. _

_He fumbled with an old photograph he had swiped from his room back home, it was an old photograph, clearly seen since it was still in black and white, it was summer in Tulsa. Darry, Soda and Ponyboy were all standing together shirts off and holding a football, you could pin-point some members of the gang in the backround, but Ponyboy and Darry were all he had eyes for. _

_Ponyboy was fourteen when this picture was taken. _

_And Darry was twenty._

_But him. Sodapop turned nineteen just a few weeks ago. Of course a letter from home wishing him a 'Happy Birthday' and 'We Miss You' was given to him. Along with no ambushes by the Vietnamese Soda kissed the photo, stuffing it in his "secret pocket" he had sewn on the inside of his clothes, just in-cease if he was looted, he knew it was safe, but mainly so he wouldn't loose it. trying his best to curl in his fox hole. _

_"Soda-" A harsh whisper came._

_Soda didn't reply. He just wanted to dream, to be back home. _

_"Soda!" _

_"What?!" _

_Soda turned to see Steve, only a few feet away from him. He and Steve have been together since they were flown in, They had each other's backs, they made a promise on their dog-tags to survive. _

_"You okay?"_

_" m'tryin' to sleep." _

_"Soda. Don't."_

_"Piss off, Steve." Soda laughed, "Now, shut up, get some sleep."_

_"You call for Ponyboy in your sleep. You can't sleep, not while we haven't been invaded." _

_He called for Ponyboy? It didn't surprise him. _

_"Good. Now. . . Lemmie sleep."_

_"Soda!"_

_ Soda knew Steve was right, he couldn't sleep. It wasn't even night time. All of them were to be stationed in their fox holes to ambush the next passing group, then it was to high-tail it to the beach where they'd head on a boat that would take them to the next destination. It was dangerous to be walking in the deep vines of the jungle. Not because of the snakes, spiders and rats. But because of the traps. A guy Soda met on his first day, had stepped in a trap, cutting off his foot and part of his leg. _

_Soda felt his eyes droop, he wanted to sleep so bad. _

_Then there were footsteps. _

_Soda held his breath. Only to see it was Steve. _

_"Didn't you hear? The coast is clear." _

_Soda smirked. "Scared the shit out of me." _

_After walking a few miles in utter silence, their guns and hand the leader pointed to ahead. "There's the shore and the boat!" He whispered quietly. "Formation, run!" _

_As the group left the jungle, they weren't even half-way on the beach before shots were heard. _

_"IT'S AN AMBUSH!" One guy screamed. _

_"TO THE BOAT!" The leader comanded. Steve and Soda were running with the rest of them men, also taking fire every once in a while. But once every two seconds a body would fall and Steve and Soda would run faster. But something caught Soda's eye. _

_A boy, hiding in the bushes still in the jungle. _

_He had wide eyes and was scared. _

_All in a split-second, an image of a fright Ponyboy came to Soda's head and his eyes widened as he changed his direction, running away from the group._

_"SODA!" Steve called out. _

_"PRIVATE, GET BACK HERE!"_

_But the shouts fell deaf on Soda's ears as he kicked up the sand racing toward the skinny, poor child. Why he was there, he didn't know, nor did he care at that point. All he knew was a child was in the middle of an ambush, he had to save him. . . . he had to save Ponyboy. _

_"Com'on!" He screamed, pulling the child, he looked to be no younger than eight. _

_Soda could see the ship as he pushed the child ahead of him, pointing to the ship. _

_Steve's heart stopped for a moment. "What the hell?!" He screamed. _

_"He's just a kid!" Soda screamed. "Take him with us!" _

_One sniper smirked, seeing an American had taken their bait they had kidnapped from a nearby village. He pointed his rifle ever so quietly out of the bushes he was hiding in a pulled the trigger, aiming at Soda's side. Soda felt warm and everything looked to be in slow motion, he didn't know if it was because he was tired from the lack of sleep or if he had tripped. The child he had "saved" ran towards the boat while he could hear Steve's distant voice screaming loudly: _

_"NO-O-O!" _

_Soda coughed glancing up as the boat was leaving. He groaned as he looked down at his side, it was bleeding and quick, he tried to move, but every nerve in his body felt shocked and he wound up screaming in pain. His bottom lip quivered and he had a dreaded feeling hit his heart. _

_He was going to die_

_Soda moved his hand from his wound and up to his chest where he had stuffed the picture in his secret pocket. He felt tears roll down his face, Ponyboy's smiling face and Darry's grin. _

_"N-no." He stampered. "I can't. . . I promised."_

_He ignored the tears falling on the photo. _

_"I promised. . .to come home. . . this summer." _

_The tide had began to come in as the sun became gold across the once grey sky. He wished he'd seen a sunset with Ponyboy. Ponyboy talked about them all the time, once he even offered to watch one with Soda. But Soda was too busy with girls and cars. He realized how stupid he was to turn Ponyboy down. Soda could taste his tears now, he knew he was dying he hoped it wouldn't be in vain. _

_The tide came closer and closer to him until the water was at his nose. Soda sighed, closing his eyes just for a moment. _

_He felt a hand brush his cheek. _

_Opening his blue eyes and felt tears come again. _

_There stood Dallas, a smirk on his face, standing next to Johnny, his bruises and cuts all gone. The one creasing his cheek was his mother, and next to her was his father. He wasn't in uniform anymore, back to his normal plaid shirt and blue jeans while his hair was greased back. The wound was gone, as well as the pain. _

_"Let's go home, sweetheart." His mother smiled. _

_Soda was lost for words as he grinned, following the four. _

_To their home. Where he'd watch out a window, watching Darry and Ponyboy stand before his grave. And he'd smile sadly as he'd reach out to pet their heads to wipe the tears away from their faces. Although they were alive and couldn't catch on, it would be okay. He'd give them a sunset, one where Ponyboy and Darry could watch together. _

_That warm, quiet summer. _

* * *

***sniffles* *stands up and applauds* **

**Damn. . . **

**Review, please. **

**-Kylelover101 **


End file.
